The British Sub-Aqua Club (bsac.com) and its sister site (bsacsnorkelling.co.uk) can put you in touch with British schools. If you intend to learn abroad, look for Professional Association of Diving Instructors-approved courses at padi.com .

Where to go

The Red Sea is a good place to start, with affordable air fares and a short flight; the Travel Egypt Virtual Diving Center (touregypt.net/vdc/) looks like a mid-90s relic, but rewards investigation. Dive Pembrokeshire (dive-pembrokeshire.com) provides plenty of incentives to stay in the UK.

The US-based political website Mother Jones (motherjones.com/coral_reef/) puts it succinctly: 'Too many divers still don't know: just bumping or touching the delicate corals can injure or even kill them.' That doesn't mean you should give up diving - just follow the advice. If sharks still scare you, the excellent Shark Trust site (sharktrust.org) knocks the Jaws myth on the head.